Added 9 October 2026
emphasis
/ˈɛmfəsɪs/ noun
Latin root: emphasis Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about emphasis at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Special weight or forcefulness given to something considered important.
He paused for emphasis before saying who had won.
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Special attention or prominence given to something.
Anglia TV's emphasis is on Norwich and district.
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Prominence given to a syllable or words, by raising the voice or printing in italic or underlined type.
He used a yellow highlighter to indicate where to give emphasis in his speech.
Origin
From Latin emphasis, from Ancient Greek ἔμφασις (émphasis, “significance”), from ἐμφαίνω (emphaínō, “to present; to indicate”), from ἐν- (en-, “in”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “to show”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)